Don Fagerquist

Don Fagerquist: Eight By Eight

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 7, 2019

The octet plays a special role in the evolution of jazz, especially on the West Coast in the 1950s. Record labels loved octets because they saved them money without compromising much on sound. Jazz fans loved them because eight instruments seemed to be the maximum number the ear could hear distinctly. Octets also meant a lower risk of recording mistakes and re-takes. The octet wasn't a modern invention. The configuration dates back to the 1930s, when leaders wanted to hold ...
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Interview

Dave Pell on Don Fagerquist

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
September 9, 2009

If you're unfamiliar with trumpeter Don Fagerquist [pictured], that's about to change. The now nearly forgotten West Coast trumpeter had one of the richest tones in the business in the 1950s and 1960s, and he made everything he played sound melodic and effortless. Fagerquist's solos were like tennis balls rolling out of a can onto a clay court. There was a soft, rich bounce to his ideas, and Fagerquist had enormous taste, playing just what the ear wanted to hear--no ...
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